Why Sha’re Left Stargate in Season 3

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Colonel Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson once again joined forces to fight the Goa’uld. Their mission included protecting Earth and freeing the galaxy from Goa’uld control, but Daniel also had a personal reason for being part of SG-1. As shown in “Children of the Gods,” his wife, Sha’re, was taken and became the host for the Goa’uld Amunet.

I was so invested in Daniel’s struggle to save Sha’re! For two and a half seasons, he desperately searched for a way to free her from Apophis and the Goa’uld controlling her. Then, in the middle of season three, we found out Amunet – Sha’re’s mother – had been on Abydos, trying to find out what happened to her daughter. It was heartbreaking when Amunet tried to kill Daniel, and Teal’c was forced to shoot her. It was a really tough moment for everyone.

Sha’re and Daniel Jackson’s Relationship Was a Driving Motive of SG-1

Sha’re was a character in the Stargate SG-1 series, alongside James Spader. When Colonel Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson first traveled to Abydos through the Stargate, the local people thought they were sent by the powerful Goa’uld Ra, who had ruled Abydos as a feared god. Kasuf offered his daughter, Sha’re, to Daniel as a gift, believing him to be an envoy of Ra. Daniel initially protested, but Sha’re fell in love with him and insisted on being with him. Over time, Daniel reciprocated her feelings, and they eventually married while exploring the planet together.

Following the defeat of Ra and the destruction of his ship, Daniel Jackson decided to stay on Abydos with Sha’re and hide the Stargate. A year later, he reactivated the gate, and Colonel O’Neill traveled to Abydos to investigate the abduction of a female officer from Earth. They discovered that the Stargate connected to numerous worlds and that the aggressive Jaffa warriors didn’t originate from Abydos. While Daniel, Captain Carter, and Colonel O’Neill were exploring an ancient structure, Apophis attacked Abydos, capturing many people, including Sha’re and Skaara.

An airman managed to catch a glimpse of the Stargate address Apophis used to transport the prisoners. Before O’Neill and Daniel could reach Chulak to rescue the Abydonians, Sha’re was brought before a Goa’uld, who examined her. Impressed with Sha’re, the Goa’uld chose her as a host. When Daniel, O’Neill, and the other Air Force personnel arrived on Chulak, they were led to a banquet hall where they saw Sha’re, now inhabited by Amunet. Apophis quickly attacked, capturing them all.

Skaara is selected as one of the Children of the Gods just before their departure from the planet. While O’Neill and his team receive assistance from Apophis’s First Prime to free the remaining captives, they can’t reach Sha’re and Skaara before the Goa’uld escape on their ship. Sha’re and Skaara’s kidnapping deeply motivates both Daniel and O’Neill – Daniel is determined to rescue his wife, and O’Neill feels a strong paternal connection to Skaara, making him equally committed to bringing them both home.

Stargate SG-1 Wrote Vaitiare Hirshon’s Pregnancy Into the Show

I remember when Daniel first went to Abydos – he asked Kasuf to bury the stargate for a year, hoping he could find Sha’re and bring her back with him. It was heartbreaking when he returned in “Secrets” and had to admit he hadn’t succeeded. But Kasuf was incredibly understanding and took him to see Sha’re! It was amazing to find out she was there, and she was pregnant! She explained this whole complicated situation with Amunet – apparently, Amunet had to essentially merge with Sha’re to protect the baby. If Amunet had tried to take control, it would have forced Sha’re to go into labor prematurely, and they were trying to avoid that.

Daniel and Teal’c were trying to bring Sha’re to Earth, hoping the Asgard could safely remove the Goa’uld inside her. However, Heru’ur showed up first, determined to take her unborn baby. This baby, a human born with a Goa’uld inside – known as a Harcesis – would be an incredibly strong host for a Goa’uld, and Heru’ur wanted it for himself. Just then, Amunet went into labor, mistakenly believing Apophis had arrived.

Teal’c pretended to be one of the Jaffa to trick Heru’ur and take the baby, but Amunet saw through the deception. The situation quickly worsened when Apophis arrived to retrieve his wife and child. Back on Earth, when the Stargate connected to Abydos, everyone went into hiding, caught off guard and expecting a battle. Amunet confronted Apophis, telling him Heru’ur had taken the baby, and then gave Daniel a meaningful, silent look. Sha’re demonstrated incredible willpower, managing to overcome Amunet’s control long enough to lie to Apophis and protect Daniel.

Vaitiare Hirshon ‘Wanted to Be a Mom’ and Chose Not to Return

Although Vaitiare Hirshon only appeared in a few episodes, her character, Sha’re, played a significant role in the show. She was a key reason Daniel joined the Stargate program and remained a constant presence in his thoughts. Each time the team traveled through the Stargate, Daniel secretly hoped to find information about Sha’re’s whereabouts.

Skaara also greatly influenced O’Neill’s decisions. In one of the earlier episodes, when SG-1 was preparing to travel through the Stargate with another team, O’Neill insisted his team go first. He explained that if Skaara or Sha’re were waiting on the other side, the other team would immediately shoot them.

The team also searched for a way to safely remove the Goa’uld parasites from their host, Sha’re. During the first few seasons, they discovered several alien races with the necessary abilities. The Asgard, for example, possessed the technology and had even created a device on one of their worlds that could teleport anyone with a Goa’uld to a deadly maze. To escape, the host had to pass through a special doorway that would kill the Goa’uld inside.

During the third season, the Tollan demonstrate they can control the Goa’uld parasite, allowing them to communicate with and safely remove it from a host, as they do when they liberate Skaara from his symbiote. Sadly, SG-1 wasn’t able to reach any allies who could help Sha’re in the same way.

Following the presumed death of Apophis, Daniel discovers that Amunet has returned to Abydos to find the Harcesis, the child Kasuf had been raising. She was gathering the people of Abydos, likely with the intent to kill them, when Daniel confronted her. Amunet attacked Daniel with a Goa’uld device. Teal’c arrived just in time and found Daniel near death, fatally shooting Amunet and, tragically, Sha’re as well. While Daniel was being attacked, Sha’re sent him visions.

In the emotional episode “Forever in a Day,” Sha’re reached out to Daniel telepathically to say farewell and deliver a final message. She sent him dreams that shifted between two possible realities: one where Teal’c had killed her, and another where the Tok’ra had brought her back to life and she was happily with Daniel. She urged Daniel to forgive Teal’c, explaining he had no choice but to kill her to save Daniel’s life. Ultimately, she wanted him to know she was finally free from the control of the Goa’uld.

Sha’re’s last communication revealed the location of the Harcesis, urging Daniel Jackson to find and rescue him. Vaitiare Hirshon, the actress who played Sha’re, was asked to return for the role, but she was facing scheduling conflicts. She had recently had a baby and was also working on the television show Pacific Blue. In an interview with Dial the Gate: the Stargate Oral History Project, Hirshon explained that she was finishing up a commitment to another series, requiring frequent travel, which made it difficult to commit to returning as Sha’re.

Actress Rachel Hirshon lived in Vancouver while filming Pacific Blue, which was set in California, requiring frequent travel. In an interview, she admitted she was exhausted. When the producers of Stargate SG-1 asked her to reprise her role as Sha’re in the third season, she declined, prioritizing starting a family. She explained that she simply wanted to focus on raising her child. This decision led to the character of Sha’re being written off the show.

Daniel found the Harcesis in season four, bringing that storyline to a close. The child, however, lacked the dangerous genetic memories of the Goa’uld who created him. The Tok’ra, learning this, wanted to use a device to unlock those memories. During this process, the child showed Daniel a vision: a future where Daniel gained immense power and knowledge. But the vision also revealed that this power would corrupt him, proving the saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

After experiencing a vision, Daniel gives the child, Sha’re’s son, to Oma Desala, allowing him to reach a higher level of being. Daniel himself would later follow and ascend with Oma Desala’s help during season five. He returned in season seven, but made brief appearances as an ascended being in season six.

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2025-12-12 06:39